


The Beginning After the End

by quinnieonmain



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Stargazing, hhhh my friend olivia might read this .... cringe bro 🤨, valentines gift for a dear friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quinnieonmain/pseuds/quinnieonmain
Summary: Kaito Momota sees space in everything, and Shuichi is no exception.post-game: v3 was a simulation, saimota reunites and does some stargazing. :]
Relationships: Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	The Beginning After the End

Kaito Momota could see space in anything, was able to relate anything and everything to planets and nebulas and galaxies millions of light-years away. In the killing game, he proudly told Shuichi this half a thousand times, although the (former?) ultimate detective never gave his words much thought. Kaito was the only reason he ever noticed the night sky, really. Before the game, before Danganronpa, he’d been far too- was busy the right word? He was too trapped in his own head before Danganronpa, too stuck in the past. 

He was pretty stuck now, too, to be fair. Ever since he, Himiko, and Maki had crawled out of the demolished school, his life had been a constant rush of stress. At least he wasn’t back in the ‘real world’ totally yet; after they’d left the Ultimate Academy, the trio had woken up in a hospital wing set aside for them. The doctors had told them the truth, something Shuichi was still shocked by: 

Tsumugi was lying. 

In that final confrontation, she’d stuck with her story of “Danganronpa has always been fiction”, apparently going totally off-script (and losing her job in the process, although she wouldn’t have had it anyway because of a sudden lack of interest). Danganronpa was a simulation and always had been. Apparently, they’d used similar technology to that used back when the Ultimate Despairs had been forced into a similar killing game. 

Everyone was alive. Kaede played piano for everyone while they recovered (as she’d been awake long enough to move around) and they got to properly meet Rantaro; Tenko and Himiko reunited, Angie made paintings for everyone as an apology for the whole cult thing. Even Kiibo was alright, although he had to reintroduce himself to having a human body. 

As she visited Shuichi, Kaede told him how happy she was that everyone really had ended up becoming friends, and he agreed wholeheartedly. Everyone was alive, and forgiven, and together. 

And Kaito was back. Illness-free, completely alive and happy, and back to asking Maki and Shuichi to spend time training. They couldn’t yet, but both promised they’d be doing sit-ups in the hospital courtyard as soon as the doctors gave them clearance. 

Shuichi wasn’t ashamed to admit that, upon seeing Kaito again for the first time, he’d sobbed like a child, all pouring tears and gasping breaths as Kaito gave him the biggest hug he’d ever experienced. 

Even if he wasn’t really the ultimate astronaut, Kaito saw space in everything. When the two were still restricted to hospital beds (ones that had been pushed closer upon request) he used a sharpie to draw planets on Shuichi’s plastic-y bracelet, all the while repeating, “just wait until they let us outside again, I can’t wait to see the real stars again!” He kept the NASA channel on 24/7 (not that Shuichi minded much) and recited facts along with special guests, and had some of the others who had woken up early enough to already be up and moving around hang up paper cutouts of the solar system around the room.

Finally, they were allowed to get out of bed. The second the nurses cheerfully reported that Shuichi and Kaito could get up and walk around, Kaito was practically leaping out of bed and rushing over to the balcony doors, dragging Shuichi along with him. 

“It’s a great view, see? We’re pretty high up, so street lights won’t get in the way!” 

“Ah- we can’t see anything yet, though.” 

“Well, yeah, not until it’s dark out. But tonight we can come outside and look! Maybe we can even get back to training!” 

A nurse who’d worriedly followed them outside interrupted. “No working out, not yet!” 

Kaito sighed, eliciting a small chuckle from his friend. “Alright. We can at least go outside tonight, right?” His expression was so pleading that Shuichi thought that even if they hadn’t been allowed to, the nurse wouldn’t have been able to refuse. Luckily, she nodded, and Shuichi found himself surprisingly almost as excited as Kaito was, although he restrained from letting out an excited cheer and pumping his fist in the air. 

The next few hours passed both excruciatingly slowly and faster than ever, somehow. Kaito passed the time until sunset by constantly checking the clock and groaning when only 2 minutes had gone by; Shuichi watched on in amusement as the sounds of a special on the NASA channel mixed with Kaede’s piano music in another room played in the background. 

As soon as the sun started to disappear over the horizon, Kaito was out of bed again, pulling Shuichi out onto the balcony. 

”Why are we going outside already? The stars aren’t out yet.” Shuichi paused for a second then rushed to add onto his question. “I mean, it’s fine! I don’t mind at all, I’m just wondering.” 

He didn’t stop to think about his answer for a second. “Even if we can’t see the stars yet, it’s still nice to be outside together, right?” He turned to Shuichi and grinned. The other couldn’t stop his matching smile, and didn’t particularly want to. 

Kaito saw space in everything, and Shuichi wasn’t exempt from that. As they waited for the sky to darken fully, the self-proclaimed Luminary of the Stars turned to his friend and pointed at his face. 

“Hey, there are stars out already!” His tone made it clear that Kaito was joking, but Shuichi tilted his head slightly, questioning him without speaking. “Freckles, you know?” 

Without really thinking about it, Shuichi raised a hand and traced two fingers over his face lightly. “What do you mean?” 

His friend moved his finger around in mid-air, as if tracing a pattern that only he could see. “They look like stars! Like constellations. You could probably trace out the big dipper just here-” He tapped a few spots on Shuichi’s face, apparently highlighting freckles that could evidently be representative of different shapes that Kaito had studied for years. (Or at least, his killing game self had, his fabricated self had. But Shuichi found it far easier to think that the Kaito he knew was the real one, and always would be.) 

“Or over here-” Kaito moved his hand to the other side of Shuichi’s face, tracing a different pattern this time. “This could be virgo! Isn’t that your sign?” 

Shuichi silently nodded, afraid that if he spoke, his voice would crack and shatter in all the wrong places and spoil the moment. 

“That’s cool! I’m a gemini. I looked it up a few weeks ago, we’re compatible!” 

“I didn’t think you’d be the type to be into that sort of stuff.” Much to his surprise, Shuichi’s voice came out smoother than usual, and Kaito didn’t seem to mind how quiet his words were.

The other shrugged a little self-consciously. “Yeah, I don’t really believe it all that much. But I figured that if you’re studying to be an astronaut it’s best to know everything you can about space, even if it’s not scientific. Besides, it’s just fun, you know?” 

Shuichi nodded again. 

“Hey, look! It’s finally dark enough!” He was right- without the pair noticing it, the sky had finally darkened, and Kaito had been right about the balcony having a fantastic view. Shuichi thought back to being in the Ultimate Academy, how they’d been able to see the stars clearly even despite it all being virtual. Those were more clear, usually- now there were some grey clouds slightly obstructing his view. 

But something about tonight’s stars, whether it was Kaito’s presence beside him, or the fact that death wasn’t around every corner, or any of the other infinite improvements, was a lot better than Team Danganronpa’s best programmers could ever replicate. 

“Are you thinking about the game again?” 

Shuichi looked up, surprised that Kaito had been able to read him so well. Part of him wanted to lie and say no, as if to avoid the subject that still was, and probably always would be, so difficult to talk about. Kaito was already continuing before he could. 

“Eh, I already know you are. I am too, I guess.” He turned away from the sky and placed a hand on Shuichi’s shoulder. “But this is a lot better than that. There’s no reason to think about everything that happened then. We’re here now, y’know?” He smiled reassuringly, then looked back up, not moving his hand away. 

Shuichi looked up too. For once, he thought he could almost recognize a few constellations. The real ones, not the ones on his face that only Kaito had ever pointed out. 

Kaito Momota saw space in everything, and Shuichi thought that maybe he should think about that more.

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello hope u enjoyed this! it’s a valentine’s gift for my friend charlie, who is a hardcore shuichi kinnie + kaito simp + saimota lover :3 happy valentine’s!!
> 
> (title is from a song of the same name by Stars)
> 
> edit: ayo i just realized this is my second fic abt stargazing LMAO call that a love for outer space and the occasional desire for peace and quiet!


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